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By Dan Leone

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MEG RYAN, AWOL post-Russell Crowe fling and the disappointing Kate and Leopold, can kiss her status as America's spunky, blond, romantic comedy queen good-bye. After the surprise success of Legally Blonde, Sweet Home Alabama should ensure Reese Witherspoon's claim to that title as long as she keeps finding material so well suited to her charms. In the hands of a less appealing actor, and with a less winning supporting cast, Alabama might've spelled sickly sweet death for moviegoers. Fortunately, though, director Andy Tennant (Ever After) has a capable crew in place to give some weight to a featherlight story. Up-and-coming fashion designer Melanie Carmichael (Witherspoon) has just accepted a proposal from her high-society beau (Patrick Dempsey, eerily JFK Jr.-like), who happens to be the son of the image-conscious New York City mayor (Candice Bergen, in high bitch mode). Trouble is, Melanie has a secret, hell-raisin' past – and a good ol' boy husband (Matthew McConaughey clone Josh Lucas) – in backwater Pigeon Creek, Ala. When the former "Felony Melanie" heads south for the first time in seven years determined to finalize her divorce, her stilettos 'n' cell phone persona makes for culture clash with the yokels (including her plain-folks parents, played by Fred Ward and Mary Kay Place), who are taken aback by her lifestyle change. Social faux pas ensue, mullets appear, Witherspoon's Southern accent comes and goes, Civil War jokes abound, the nature of true love is pondered, and – come on, if you've seen the trailer, you know how this cinematic equivalent of lemon chess pie ends. It's a chick flick, sure, but the Witherspoon factor ensures Sweet Home Alabama is a top-notch entry into the genre. (Cheryl Eddy)